Ten Startups That Will Revolutionize The Best Coffee Pod Machine Industry For The Better
The Best Coffee Pod MachineThis sleek, brushed-steel machine provides the Sage brand's distinctive quality and ease of use. It warms up after switching on, and then brews a delicious espresso or a slightly longer lungo in just 30 seconds.
Pod models are an excellent alternative to bean-to cup machines. They take the clumsiest parts of coffee making off your hands, including grinding and measuring grounds.
1. Speedy
Pod machines can be installed and used more quickly than espresso machines. They can typically make a cup of coffee in 30 minutes. But they come at a cost: the pre-portioned coffee pods that are used in these machines are generally more expensive than freshly roasted beans and they are not recycled. (though some companies now offer free recycling bags and pre-paid UPS labels to return them).
The Nespresso CitiZ is one of the most efficient pod machines on the market, thanks to its in-built barcode reader that scans the code of each compatible pod prior to making it. This makes it easy to ensure consistent, high-quality coffee every time, and there is virtually no chance of the drink turning out horribly wrong. The machine is among the tiniest and lightest available. It does not require an additional milk container, and its small footprint makes it easy to fit into even the tiniest kitchens.
However the CitiZ isn't the ideal machine for those wanting to reduce their environmental impact. It doesn't come with an automatic descaling feature, and you'll have to do it yourself every 300 cups if reside in hard water areas or 1200 cups in soft water zones. Once the filter cartridge is out, you'll need replace it with a new. This can be costly for some users.
Tassimo Vivy 2 is a fast machine that can be customized with buttons. It can be utilized with ground coffee or ESE pods, which are pre-dosed and tampered grounds compressed between filter paper. This model is B-Corp Certified. It is committed to reducing the negative impact it has on its environment and workforce. The only drawback is the time it takes to warm up. Once it does, it can brew one cup in about 35 seconds.
Vertuo Creatista is a stylish, sleek machine that can create a variety of drinks in different sizes and styles. This sleek machine designed in collaboration with Sage is not just easy to use, but it also comes with an ice cream wand stainless steel jug and a milk frother.
2. Removable parts
The ease of use is a big selling point and the best models are easy to use. Most machines rely on the same basic process to make your coffee by heating water inside a reservoir, then pumped through your chosen capsules and extracted to form rich hot coffee. Many brands offer a variety of sizes of drinks to meet different requirements. You can also save your own settings to speed up the process.
Keurig's K-Cups and Nestle's Nespresso VertuoLine series are the two biggest players on the market, however each has a variety of capsules from popular roasters and brands. Some pods can be used once before they are discarded, while others can be used several times. Either way, you'll need to think about how you'll handle your spent pods so they don't end up in landfill.
The sleek SMEG model we tested has an ejectable water tank that's easy to fill and the machine will automatically pour fresh capsules after the previous one has been chilled. It can brew espresso and lungo drinks, and comes with a set of eight different blends that give you plenty of variety. This brewer is ideal for coffee lovers who want to move away from drip coffee to drip.
In our testing, the Tassimo My Way 2 was the most enjoyable to use. Its sleek design looks great on your counter and opens with just a touch to reveal the compartment that stores your empty pods. It also comes with the added benefit of a water filtration system, which is great for hard-water areas.
This machine is able to make an ordinary cup of coffee (240ml), as well as ristretto and lungo espresso-style drinks and is extremely fast. The controls are simple to operate, using the style of airplane toggles that can be retracted easily and a lever which retracts to reveal the hole to place into your coffee maker. It requires a bit of effort to close, but the majority of our testers, including those with limited hand strength and mobility, felt comfortable.
3. Size
The top coffee pod machines eliminate all the mess that comes with coffee making. You just put a pod in, press a button and let it be brewed. You'll still need to clean your machine occasionally however not as often as a bean-to-cup or espresso maker. Pod machines are smaller than their bigger counterparts and can be stored on the counter when not in use.
The best coffee machine for you will depend on your personal preferences and the goals you'd like to achieve. The majority of pod machines are easy to use, however certain models offer more customization options than others. Consider the coffee pod variety sizes, brew sizes and milk options for frothing when picking the best machine.
The majority of people associate pod-based machines with the likes of Nespresso and Keurig, but there are some newer rivals that are worth a look. One of them is Bruvi which makes use of an exclusive pod system called B-Pods that can only be used with its machines. The pods are equipped with a barcode on the underside that machines scan to automatically adjust brewing settings.
The machine will take all the guesswork out of it and ensure that each drink is perfect every time. It can even save customized drinks to a specific button to allow you to create them at the touch of a single button.
Other machines, such as Sage's My Way, offer more control over your cup of coffee than most machines, allowing you to choose the exact size and temperature for each beverage. It's more expensive than other models, however it comes with a polished stainless steel construction and superior customer service that is synonymous with the Sage's My Way brand. This is a good option for those wanting to get a bit more out of their pod-based espresso maker.
While most people are using pod-based machines to make single-serve beverages, there are some larger models that can create longer shots, also known as lungos, also. Lavazza A Modo Mio Smeg, capsule coffee machines which is a great example, combines retro fifties styling from SMEG and Italian coffee maker Lavazza. It's difficult to operate due to its toggles that resemble airplanes and a manual lever, but it's quick and incredibly enjoyable to use - a lungo is brewed in less than 30 seconds and the discarded pods are deposited into an internal bin at the push of a button.
4. Customization
The lack of customization is a major reason it's not the best choice for you. If you don't have an auxiliary milk frother then the only way to enhance flavor or creaminess is to use a hot tea or chocolate option in your mug or to manually add milk to your the coffee. For many people this won't be a problem, but it could be a problem for those who prefer a fully automated experience in the morning.
Bosch's Intellibrew utilizes barcode scanners to scan each capsule. It then automatically pre-wets and infuses the correct amount of coffee to the particular type of pod. It's an easy-to-use hands-off device that does a great job but lacks options for customising drinks or altering the strength of brew. This might be frustrating for some customers but for others the hassle-free automation and range of cup lengths (espresso, lungo and mug) it gives precisely what they require.
Aside from filling up the tank with water and decaffeinating the reservoir occasionally the coffee maker will not need a lot of maintenance. It is able to serve espresso-style shots and tall travel mugs easily and, as previously mentioned the pods that are used are ejected to a hidden container that helps keep your kitchen clean. It also does an excellent job of providing full-bodied, crema-topped coffees.
This is a stunning machine and is part of the Smeg fifties range. It's easy to use with a simple panel and can accommodate ground coffee or ESE pods. The only issue is that it doesn't come with an indicator to let you know when it's time to descale, and the maximum water level cannot be set which is a minor inconvenience. You will also have to buy the brand's capsules which can be expensive. Nevertheless, this is a great pod coffee maker for anyone looking for a beautiful and convenient appliance that will provide them with quality coffee at an affordable price. This model is compatible with a range of capsules from third-party manufacturers and works with the Nespresso Vertuo range.